Lebanon, Oregon Dog & Horse Photographer
Behind the Lens
So, what led me to this point in my life?
Well… it’s been a bit of a winding trail.
I earned my B.S. degree in Forest Recreation and Resource Management from Oregon State University in 1996. Yep, a degree to play in the woods. (Go Beavs!)
I worked for a John Deere dealership until 2010, got married, and raised two kids along the way. In 2013, I earned my EFDA (Expanded Functions Dental Assistant) certification from my local community college and worked in a dental office for eight years.
I started my photography business in 2022 and recently completed my certification with Professional Photographers of America.
So basically, I can recreate in the woods, help a dentist fix your teeth, and photograph cool shit.
Pretty much sums me up.
But photography has actually been part of my life for much longer.
I’ve consistently had a camera in my hand for the past 15 years, thanks in large part to being introduced to wild horses in 2011.
That changed everything.
Horses and dogs have always been a constant in my life, and I naturally find myself drawn to photographing them. There’s something about the bond between people and their animals that I never get tired of witnessing.
That’s why I love creating portraits for fellow horse and dog people, people who know that these animals aren’t just pets. They’re family.
They’re adventure buddies, confidants, trail partners, and sometimes the one who never leaves your side.
I want to help you commemorate that relationship with artwork you can see and enjoy every day.
And then there’s the Western lifestyle.
Growing up, I’d see images of cowboys, cowgirls, horses, and wide-open country in magazines and artwork and completely lose myself in them. I imagined my future self as a cowgirl, riding across the open range with my horse.
That life didn’t quite come to fruition for me.
But I still get to experience a little piece of it through my camera, and I love photographing it.
Wild horses and landscapes are a little different. For me, they’re about the adventure.
Will I find the horses, or get skunked?
How many miles will I have to hike?
What else will I see along the way?
With landscapes, it’s researching the area, finding the trail, figuring out the best time to go, checking the weather, and deciding just how many miles my feet are willing to negotiate.
One thing is certain:
No two adventures are ever the same.
And that’s what I love about photography.
Whether I’m photographing your once-in-a-lifetime connection with your horse or dog, chasing wild horses across the range, wandering a mountain trail, or documenting the Western lifestyle I grew up dreaming about…
I want my images to do more than show you what something looked like.
I want them to pull you in.
To make you feel like you’re standing there.
To make you remember how it felt.
To give you an escape from reality, even if it’s only for a moment.
Hi, I’m Ginger, CPP, the photographer behind Out West Originals Photography.
I photograph horses, dogs, Western lifestyle, wild horses, and landscapes, with a little adventure mixed into everything I do.
Come wander awhile.
